DeLauro Statement on Trump’s Inadequate Infrastructure Proposal

“The Trump administration’s proposal falls short of what is needed to fix our nation’s infrastructure. The federal government needs to make robust investments to fix our highways, bridges, transit, airports, high-speed rail, waterways, ports, public schools, harbors, and energy and telecommunications systems. Instead, President Trump has proposed what amounts to a drop in the bucket in critically needed federal funding.”

“The burden of funding infrastructure projects cannot be placed primarily on state and local governments. The federal government should not abdicate its important role in infrastructure projects. Moreover, despite his insinuation, the environmental protection process is not to blame for our crumbling infrastructure. Rather, it has been a lack of robust public investment over decades that has compounded into the crisis we face today. Trump’s proposal does little to address this core problem, so it is up to Congress to come up with a real plan.”

Last month, DeLauro led a letter with 75 House Democratic colleagues urging President Trump to include a National Infrastructure Development Bank in any forthcoming infrastructure proposal. DeLauro’s “Vision for the Future on Infrastructure” can be found here.